First night of jogscotland

Well - I did it.  I was right to panic a wee bit though lol, the 30 second runs were out of my reach, so we went for 10x20 second jogs and 10x40 seconds walking to start with, and we'll do the same again on Thursday.  I am the sole member of the "Beginners1" group so I have my own personal jog leader, which is actually great.  He's a really lovely man.  Really encouraging and very knowledgeable about what he was doing.  Very helpful indeed.  Back on Thursday for the same again and I'm back now, to being totally up for it again. however - I now have sore bits in places I never even knew existed, so I guess I must be doing something right!! Anyway - week one of twenty is now officially half way through, and I'm bloody knackered but happy!! :D

Nervous nervous nervous

ok, am really really nervy tonight ready to start this jogging programme.  It's been one thing plugging away at this myself, but it's another to be going out with other people who are miles miles fitter than me. I'll be keeping them back, and I'll be slowest and last at everything.  They said if needs be I can have one jog leader with me alone, but that's going to be embarrassing.  I'm actually on the verge of NOT going here, but I will.  I'm starting to have the "heavy breathing" panic attack type stuff, but I have to control that now and settle myself.  I'll just need to keep repeating my new mantra - "no matter how slow you are going, you're still lapping everyone on the couch"

Back to the body pump tonight

For the first time in over 3 years! OH MY GOD!! I used to warm up and warm down with 2kg weights on each side and do the heavier parts with 5 and sometimes 7 on each side. Tonight, I was later in, so there were only 2.5kg weights left, so I put them on. My word did I struggle with them!!  However - this gives me more motivation to keep going and to succeed at this. if I manage to do the logging twice a week and the body pump twice a week, what a difference this will make to me! #20weeks Then a wee rest over Christmas followed by a further #20weeks leading up to the hairy Haggis. More motivated than ever now - let's keep this going campo, I CAN do this!!! X

20 weeks til Christmas!

Jingle bells and all that! How I know this is because my 20 week programme that starts today finishes the Christmas week. Starts tonight with the body pump - can't wait!! :-)

Oh Yeah - tonight's walking

Was 3k up to the gym and back. Still loaded with the cold, so took it easy - 40minute return journey. Also in addition to the jogging for the next 20 weeks I'll be returning to the body pump classes I used to love. Definitely one night a week, Mondays, but will Also be trying to go to as many of the Friday night classes too. Twice a week jogging and twice a week body pump?? Jings, I'll soon hae another west side story chant "I feel pretty, oh so pretty.... " lol aye OK - let's no get carried away here Campo, it's exercise no plastic bloody surgery. Ta ta the noo!! X

Tonight, tonight -

It all began tonight.... a line from my favourite ever musical, and tonight my next stage has begun. Signed up for the jog Scotland programme, God help them, they are going to need patience the like of which they have never thought possible. So from Tuesday, each Tues and Thurs I will do their programme, the first part of which ends at Christmas. By then running the 5k should be in the bag (she said confidently!!) Then from January - a further 20 weeks and the hairy Haggis shall be mine!! Ooh errr missus! BRING. IT. ON!

saw a challenge on jog Scotland earlier

60miles in August. Now - this was a challenge to see who could clock up 60miles first. Now, clearly that isny gonny be me, so I never signed up for it. But it did get me thinking. Let's do this as a challenge myself. 60Miles is about 100k. Can I do 100k in one month - having recently crossed my first 100k barrier in 3 months. 2 nights a week with jog Scotland, plus whatever I do myself??  Let's go campo!! #60milesinAugust x

Knees

Are absolutely killing me tonight, but did the running sets, then drove for nearly six hours. Plus, I gotta take into account the weight pounding down on them at each workout set. Will keep an eye on them tomorrow. Hopefully just today they're sore and they'll be fine tomorrow

Where am I today?

With regard to my initial aim, I am obviously on the "I've done it" step. For aim number two, to run the 5k, I would say I was between the "I can" and "I will" steps. For the third aim, I'm a bit between the "I'll try" and the "I can" steps. Purely because I genuinely don't know yet. As the cliche goes - one step at a time - and while I'm not losing any focus or indeed enthusiasm, I'm still not getting too carried away just yet. Focusing on one goal at a time is helping me achieve more. I worried that I couldn't do the race for life to start with! Stage two of the plan starts at the beginning of next month, with starting the jogging club. bring it on!

Day two of jogscotland practice

Off on holiday later today - still in UK but a few days away nevertheless.  Thought I'd get in the routine before I did - which means I only need to do it Wednesday and Friday, with the squats routine Tuesday, Thursday Saturday.    Experimented with different brekkie today - protein bar and energy gel thing.  Not sure how I found the interval thing - still about the same I reckon - still very tough, still not sure if I'll manage to keep up with the rest of the jogging crew to get to the interval stage. Going by their training it'll take 20 weeks to get to 5k stage.  If so I may need to reassess goals to make it the Santa dash that I'm ready for not October as I thought.  So I may now instead just go to Perth for the big fun run at the end of Sept rather than the semi-serious run run in Pollok Park in Oct, and try and Walk/jog that see where I am? Can't do any harm can it?  and maybe I'll see how I do at that and keep an eye on the Pollok park one.  Still hungry though - still haven't got this eating for energy stores caper sorted.  Next project!!

Day one.

Decided to give the JS prog a go myself.  Not too bad considering.  1.25k covered,which is half the distance I'm expected to cover by the end of the 10 weeks, so not sure if that's good or bad.  Worst case scenario means I need to double my speed at everything.  Which isn't so good.  still feeling good tho.  Saturday mornings this time last year would be spent regretting the carry out I had last night and the bottle (or two) of wine.  Now?  At 9am - I've done my workout and off to meet my mum.

Let's go!!!

Plunge = Taken!

Have decided to join up with my local jogscotland group, to motivate me a little more.  It's ok padding along by yourself and geeing yourself up all the time - but I'm learning - sometimes it's ok to ask for help.  And I reckon maybe a group setting might motivate me more.  We'll see.  Anyway - Steph - here's where your job starts now buddy - training plan on the spreadsheet on the right.  Strathy Park for the odd day here and there?

TON UP!!! :-)

100K barrier - smashed!!! absolutely delighted. the world is my oyster. I'd have laughed at you if you'd said 3 months ago when I started this that I'd do this. now? bring it on. I'm gonna try not to cry now :-) lol x

Non cardio day today so the squats challenge started!

200 squats challenge app downloaded to the old trusty android and off we went. Managed 20 with the training run so it made me do sets of 7 7 6 8 and 7 I think - anyway it totalled 35 plus the original 20 making 55.
 So squats current total =55 on the road to 200.  Cardio tomorrow and squats again on Friday

Another run along the main road

Tonight. Lamp post to lamp post. Hard hard going, felt like giving up a few times but carried on. It will get easier I have to keep telling myself that. I'll keep going with this til I can do it without any problem, then I'll start doing the up and back twice, which will mean I'm running 2.5 of the 5k, then slowly keep increasing lampposts until I can run the 5k.

treadmill isn't doing it for me this time

so - decided to take myself out and pound the roads to "shame" me into doing it when I know there's a chance others are watching.  Now - I know that's probably a load of rubbish - amost folk will be a)sleeping or reading papers on the buses that pass me b) sleeping or ogling page 3 in the vans that pass me and c) concentrating on driving not nodding off on the way o work in the cars that pass me.  So once I got all that into my head - I only bloody well managed what I set out to do!  What a boost! Wow! lamppost to lamppost alternate jogging/walking. 2.5k all in and I "jogged" half of it. I feel bloody magic! and home before 7am!!  Not going to pretend it was a dawdle mind you - it was bloody hard.  But the bottom line is I managed it.  So now I know what I need to do.  be able to run 4 times that amount in 3 months time.  Definitely doable given how well I did scaling up the walking.  I'll try this again over the weekend (although I'm out a lot this weekend) then start it 3 times per week next week and slowly start scaling it up.  COME ON - YOU CAN DO IT!!

Must do better!

Well that wasn't very good - I gave up with the running 3 quarters of the way thru. Instead of 8 interval sets, I managed 5 and walked the rest. Stopped at 2.5k. However, not too downbeat as I've done nothing for the best part of a month due to my back injury. At least I know what I need to do now. Twice as much as I've just done!! lol and that's just to get to week one level  - eek - what a thought. but I can do it - I am capable of it. Some weights in the work gym to strengthen my legs on the non cardio days is what's in order I think! Still bring it on!!! X

Back tomorrow!

Had an enforced lay off for past 3 weeks as had back injury. All better now so back in the race. Now that the first goal has been achieved I have 2 new ones. Firstly, by about October - RUN a 5k and secondly by the end of may 2013 - run 5 MILES in a decent enough time to not let my team mates down in the hairy Haggis relay at the Edinburgh Marathon. Treadmill delivered tomorrow or Saturday and interval training starts. Bring it on!!!!

The BIG day

Really really nervous today, petrified of either not finishing, or finishing last.  Left ridiculously early parked, panicked for an hour or so before it, stood at the start line far too long and panicked some more

Finally started then had to control the urge to start racing people, and just keep to my own pace.  All was going well, kept my head down and concentrated on no one or nothing around me, just kept going and kept time by my music.  Then I made the mistake of lifting my head and paying attention to what was going on, I had thought due to where we were on the course we were nearing the end.  Sadly when I looked up I saw the 3k flag.  I thought we were further in.  Knuckled down again and finally turned into the park again.  So then I thought, right, that must mean we're near the end and lifted my head again.  Similar mistake as I saw the 4k flag!  Damn, still another K to go!  Back on with the music and down with the head again, then finally the finishing line appeared.  Round the corner and  a wee hill and that was me, I had done it! Was a very emotional moment indeed, I surprised myself.  Delighted to collect my wee medal.  It's not exactly an Olympic gold, but it means  a lot to me.  Sore feet aside, I'm ecstatic.  And thank you Emily for freezing yer icicles off to stay with me xx


So....... is this the end of the blog?  Or is it just the beginning of the next chapter now??

Week home from holidays

Day after I came home I walked 2.5k early in the morning, then in Edinburgh for the marathon I did around 3k wandering around the park area waiting on my pal finishing.